voco The Clair Cincinnati Downtown by IHG

I've been here at least six times for work without a bad stay, so that says a lot. The whole hotel smells great, and the beds are among the most comfortable I've had. There's a pool and a small exercise room. Breakfast is a buffet, around $14 or something. I love the food at Penny Flower downstairs, and I've enjoyed everything I've tried on the menu. There isn't much right around the hotel besides an Italian restaurant, Gastropub, and boxing gym, so I knocked off a star for that. But hopping on a scooter makes it easy to get where you want.

We've made this our hotel when visiting Cincinnati. It used to be Holiday Inn by IHG, but after an upgrade over the past year, it's now a Voco by IHG with a modern, sophisticated look. The staff were very professional, and breakfast was good. My IHG rewards status got us an upgrade to a huge corner suite with city views. The bed was comfortable, and the shower felt rejuvenating. There are two parking garages just steps away, as well as a large lot farther down the street.

I was visiting family from Florida and was told this was a newer hotel. I liked the look, the Pennyflower restaurant downstairs, and the friendly staff. The rooms were clean, and even the wooden-looking key cards were a cool touch. The location is great if you like walking around the city, with everything close by. I gave it four stars because there's no parking included, and you have to pay for the garage with no validation.

The hotel bar looked sleek, and the bartender working that shift was friendly. The lobby and our room smelled nice, and the staff greeted us whenever we came in and helped with questions about food and things to do nearby. The Voco is clean and modern, with recent-looking updates that seem to be holding up. Our room was well appointed and very clean, and the bathroom was spotless and modern too. The next-door garage is handy, but the hotel doesn't validate parking, which costs about $12 a day. There are plenty of bars and restaurants within a 5-10 minute walk, the football stadium is about 15-20 minutes on foot, and the Hard Rock Casino is around 10 minutes away. Scooters around the city make getting around faster. We'd highly recommend staying here for couples, families, or work trips.